The Lost Oakleaves
by Fuzzball240
Summary: Fallon is a seventeen year old with a little sister. They are on the run after their village is raided by bandits. They run into two men in funny looking cloaks that remind her of an old man she once knew. Suspicious, they reluctantly agree to eat. Shortly after, a discovery is made. Don't trust the summary. It sucks. Story is better than it sounds. Rated T for a bit a violence.
1. The Lost Oakleaves

I hide under the slight indent under our house. It was first built as a cellar for crops and meat. It was only just big enough to fit me and Mercie.

I had my hands clamped over her ears and her face hidden against my chest. She couldn't see or hear what was happening to our home. I watched as bandits ran about, mindlessly killing everyone they could. Either that or locking them up in the houses and setting the thatch on fire.

I was being forced to watch as my people were being burned alive. I feel the floor above me grow warm. I knew it had been only a matter of time before this one was lit too.

I wait until just the right time that I don't think anyone is looking when I burst out of my hiding place with Mercie in tow.

I feel a sense of undeniable guilt but remember my promise to my mother. I would do anything for the safety of Mercie. It was my oath. My promise. And I never break a promise.

Mercie and I run as fast as we can from the village that is our home. Or was. Mercie stops and tries to catch her breath. I stand beside her and cannot resist the urge to look behind us at the place I had called home for seventeen years.

Nothing but screams, flames, and smoke. Mercie coughs violently and I kneel beside her and rub her back soothingly. She looks up at me with teary eyes that look far wiser than any six year olds should ever look.

"Fallon? When will we go home?"

I look at her and force a smile,

"Not for a long time, ok?"

"Does that mean never?"

I laugh a little and carefully make sure that she couldn't see that I want to cry,

"No, it means not for a long time. Not never ok?"

She looks at me and smiles a little,

:Now wipe those tears all right? We're going to be fine. I promise."

I reach over and gently wipe her tears with my sleeve. She laughs a little and I grab her hand and we begin to walk, quickly, away from the burning village.

We are about halfway through the forest that had always surrounded our village and blocked us away from all other civilization when we hear the sounds of people. Hunters presumably.

We hide just to be sure and wait until we see the men coming. There are two and are dressed strangely. In mottled cloaks of the like I have never seen before.

Then again I have rarely been allowed to leave the village from which I came. Mercie whimpers a bit and I clamp my hand over her mouth.

The men stop and hear them talking about how the trail they had been tracking suddenly disappeared. Then i hear one of them say that they found it again. I hold Mercie still under the brambles in which we lay and grab a stone and toss it in the direction opposite from us.

The men turn to see what made the noise and then look in the direction opposite from where the stone fell, which meant they were looking at the now empty hiding spot.

Mercie and I are already running through the woods. Or rather I am, Mercie is riding on my back.

I run silently a skill an old loon had taught me years before. The silly old man and his wife had taught me many things. I could move silently and shoot the bow on my back with unerring accuracy.

I thought back. He and his wife had died a few years before and had been buried next to a man I had never known. A man who was apparently the reason for the kind old man to stay in the quiet village.

He had been buried with the same type of cloak as the men earlier had worn. I tried to think what the old man's name had been.

Will. And his wife, Alyss.

I remember now. The man who had been the reason for Will's staying had been named Halt. He had died there and Will hadn't been able to make himself leave. Will had always had the craziest most charming stories. And even at an old age he had still been strong and mischief still twinkled in his eyes.

Will had always said that he had one more mission he had to see through to the end. I always wondered what it was. Suppose ill never know now.

I slow my run and duck low, depositing my sister on the ground with orders for her to lie still. She complies quickly. I stalk back in the direction I had just run and soon find the two men looking troubled.

I clear my throat and they turn to find themselves at the mercy of some seventeen year old with a bow pointed at them.

"Who are you?"

I smile grimly. We ahd all three spoke at the same time.

"I believe I have the advantage here so I suggest you answer me first."

I see the one on the left visibly gulp. The one on the right shifts nervously. I look at their eyes. They are practically harmless, but I do not trust that to be true.

I ask again,

"Who are you?"

They glance at each other and look back to me,

"We are king's rangers. Ranger Jetrun and Ranger Malon."

The one on the left indicates who is who. Gulper is Jetrun and Shifty is Malon.

Jetrun studies my bow for a moment then,

"Drop the act Malon. The kids not even shaking. She's trained well."

He gives me a congratulatory nod and I see them both suddenly turn into men who look worthy of a king's anything. Maybe a meal. That sounds good. A king's meal. I haven't eaten for days.

I don't know what all this ranger business is but I find that I no longer care.

"Got anything to eat?"

They look mildly surprised and I see them glance at each other curiously,

"Ye-es."

"Give me enough for two and I'll be on my way."

Malon looks full out curious now.

"Two? Is there another with you?"

I give no indication of an answer. Jetrun elbows him.

"Food."

Malon grabs his pack and rummages inside,

"I've got cold rations, bread, or stuff that I can cook if you'd like to sit down and stop pointing the bow at us."

He pulls out each item as he says it and I know that Jetrun can see me shaking now.

"We won't do anything to you. I promise."

I can feel my mouth watering.

"Food and then we leave."

I let out a shrill whistle and Mercie appears behind me.

We both cautiously approach the men and sit down. We watch as Malon prepares a meal, oblivious to Jetrun setting up bedding for the night.

Malon finishes quickly and as soon as the soup lands in our bowl we are eating as much as we can in as little time as we can. After our first and then second bowls we slow down and try to appreciate the food.

I am aware of Jetrun and Malon gaping at us and numbly filling our bowls. Malon looks delighted while Jetrun looks like he is wondering how anyone could eat so much disgusting soup.

I must agree with Malon. My sister, however seems to have been born with wayward taste buds.

Eventually all three of us are staring at Mercie, wondering how she could eat such stuff – and so much.

Malon has to make another pot. Or rather for the sake of all other travelers, Jetrun does.

Jetrun looks closely at us both as my sister begins to look and act tired. I myself am fighting to keep my eyelids up. I must succeed because no one says anything.

"What are your names?"

I look at Malon who is looking at me quizzically,

"None of You Business and Never Will Be."

I point at myself for None of Your Business and at Mercie for Never Will Be.

He seems to find it amusing. He rattles on for a pointless amount of time. I find myself slowly drifting off to sleep.

Jetrun rolls his eyes at Malon and hits him in the side of the head after more pointless minutes of mindless chatter and points to me and Mercie. Both fast asleep.

Jetrun notices my small bag and pulls out something Will had once given me.

"Seems we have something to bring to Gilan's attention."

Malon looked up at Jetrun and found himself looking at one of the two lost oakleaves.

In her bag they found a gold leaf and a silver leaf along with a bronze.

Only one ranger had been known to keep both the silver and the bronze oakleaves. That one ranger had disappeared with a ranger of a golden oakleaf.

Halt and Will had been found.


	2. Lead the Way

I wake up, blinking and groggy. I see trees a bit of sky and… tents. I shoot up into a standing position only to find Mercie already awake. And worse playing with the ashes of the extinguished fire.

I grab her hand and pull her away from the circle of stones the fire had been in last night. I hear no sound from the tents and deem it safe to sneak away. I grab my bag and start to leave. Mercie grabs my hand and digs her heels into the ground.

I turn and glare at her giving her a small yank. She stands her ground.

"_Mercie! This is not the time to be stubborn! Let's go!"_

She simply looks at me and points to the bag. I look and notice that the things within look out of place. Something is missing. I drop the bag and dig frantically, then stand and march to the tents.

I throw open the flaps, stop, turn back and gesture for Mercie to give me a waterskin. She passes me one and I walk into the tent and promptly empty said waterskin over Jetrun's head.

He sits up blubbering and shaking his head and wielding a knife.

I stand calmly just out of his reach,

"Where are they?"

He looks at me, clearly not amused.

"Where are what?!"

I glare at him and speak tightly,

"The oakleaves. Where are trhey?"

Her glares at me and Malon comes in and sees us both looking ready to kill the other.

"What's going on?"

I glance at him and then back at Jetrun,

"I want my oakleaves back."

"The oakleaves? Theyre yours?"

I gkare at the both equally,

"They were given to me. By a man named Will."

The two men look at each other, they look amazed and joyous.

"Will?! You found Will?! Where is he?!"

I look away. This is a sore topic. He may have been crazy but he was one of the only father figures I ever had. And like the other two he had died.

"He's gone. Four years last month."

THye look suddenly lost and distressed.

"Then there is nothing. Our last hope. Gone."

"What are you talking about?"

"The kingdom is in turmoil. Bandits attack left and right, not even the rangers can keep them in check. Their leader. We were hoping that maybe Will, being the best of us all, could defeat him. But he's gone, along with the true ranger training."

Malon looks ready to cry,

"Gilan is the last of the old training but he was poisoned last year. He cant teach anyone anything anymore. They killed all the other rangers. Its hopeless."

I watch the two men, both look completely and utterly deafeated. They make me angry.

"Will, he was the best of the rangers?"

Jetrun looks at me and nods.

"Old training would be what he would have taught yes?"

Again, a single nod. I feel a tug at my shirt and look down at Mercie who simply nods her head. I swear this girl could read minds.

"What if I were to tell you that he taught me?"

It seems to hit Malon first. One moment his head is in his hands the next its on the floor. His head had fallen off his hand causing him to fall over. He looks at me, gaping in surprise.

Jetrun is a bit more graceful in his discovery. He flops back into his soaked bedding and sighs with relief.

Then it seems to occur to him that I might be lying.

"Were you?"

I nod.

"Can you… show us?"

I nod again and leave the tent. When they come out a few seconds later I am no where to be found. I appear to their leaft. Just enough to get their attention than fade back into the shadows. I appear a short while later behind them.

They whirl around an dgrin like maniacs.

"And that's without a cloak!"

I simply nod and step closer,

"You spoke of defeat before you even tried to win. You spoke of hopelessness when you have not known what it is like to be without it. I watched and listened as my people and my home and everything I held dear was murdered.

You don't know what it is to be hopeless."

They look at me and Mercie omes up to me and hugs me. I kneel beside her and allow myself to be hugged. I know that while she means to comfort me, she too is getting comfort from this hug.

I glare over her shoulder at the men and they nod quietly. I stand after a moment and clear my throat,

"Got any coffee?"

They look mildly confused but procure the coffee. A short while later I am holding a steaming mug and asking for honey.

When they give it to me from their disappointingly small supply I scoop three spoonfuls into my coffee and sip at it appreciatively.

They smile,

"They say Will always liked coffee."

I grin,

"He never put it down."

I notice the two men loking at me strangly and kick myself when they say,

"When you smile you look remarkably like a girl."

I grunt.

Marcie and I drink coffee to our hearts contentand then stand, ready to leave.

"My oakleaves?" I extend my hand to the men.

They look at each other, Malon jerks his head toward me and Jetrun sighs heavily, handing me the three oakleaves.

I look at Mercie and once again she nods as if reading my mind,

"Where are the other rangers?"

The men grin and lead the way.


End file.
